Nairobi, Kenya: A new cold store is set to open in Kenya, aimed at reducing seafood losses.
ARCH Cold Chain Solutions Fund’s $70m site in Nairobi can store up to 18,000 tonnes of seafood and other perishable products and aims to support both domestic and international retailers and traders,
The aim is to tackle food waste, such as total product loss due to spoilage as well as unintended dips in quality. The Nairobi site will use renewable power, minimising emission levels and solving the challenge of unreliable power grids that affect the region’s cold storage capabilities.
“The facility is the first of its kind in Africa due to the flexibility of its services, the product ranges it can accommodate, and the temperature ranges within which it can operate,” ARCH Emerging Markets Partners said in a statement. It oversees Arch Cold Chain Solutions East Africa Fund, a private equity fund that invested in the project.
The opening of the Nairobi cold store only marks the beginning of the fund’s plans for East Africa, as the company intends to build and operate six to eight more cold stores in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Rwanda within the next five years.
These sites will have an estimated combined capacity of 102,000 tonnes which will help address the current shortage of temperature-controlled supply chains in the region.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 37% of food produced in sub-Saharan Africa is lost.
